While Thanksgiving Day brings a full plate of food, the holiday also brings a full day of NFL football.
The Vikings (7-3) are not scheduled to play on Thursday, but the rest of the NFC North Division teams will be playing on Thursday.
The televised tripleheader includes matchups that could have playoff implications going forward for Minnesota during Week 12 of the season.
Here are notes about the games:
Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) at Detroit Lions (3-7) 11:30 a.m.
The Lions continue the team's historic tradition of playing games on Thanksgiving. This year's matchup with the Eagles will be Detroit's 76th game on the holiday. The Lions will look to keep their season alive, as the team looks for its 36th Thanksgiving win. The team currently sits in last place in the NFC North and three games back of the Atlanta Falcons for the second wild card spot (the Vikings have the first wild card spot).
The Eagles have lost two straight games, and look to get back on track as they compete in the NFC East. Despite their struggles, the strength of their division has kept them in the playoff hunt. The Eagles are just one game behind the Giants in the division and in the wild card race.
Carolina Panthers (10-0) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7) 3:30 p.m.
The Cowboys are also still alive in the NFC East race. Due to injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the Dallas offense hasn't had the chance to get on the right page this season. The team ranks 26th in the league in passing years (2,198).
The Cowboys are (3-0) with Romo playing, and (0-7) without their starting quarterback. Romo is scheduled to play against one of the two undefeated teams remaining in the NFL in the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers have been led by their quarterback Cam Newton, who is putting together quite the season. The quarterback has 20 touchdowns through the air, and six on the ground, along with nine interceptions on the season. Newton threw for five touchdowns last week against Washington. With one more win the Panthers will be closer to securing the NFC South division, in which they have a four-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons.
Chicago Bears (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (7-3) 7:30 p.m.
The Chicago Bears will take on last week's Vikings opponent, the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears have bounced back since losing to the Vikings 23-20 on Nov. 1. At (4-6) the team is in the heart of the wild card race, and a win would bring them back into the NFC North race. Starting running back Matt Forte is expected to return as a starter Thursday night from a knee injury, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.
The Packers are tied with the Vikings atop the NFC North, and the result of this game will have a direct impact on the Vikings push for sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Also of note is that QB Brett Favre will be honored at halftime of the game, with his legendary No. 4 being retired for the Packers. In honor of today being Throwback Thursday (#tbt), take a look back at what is still one of our most-viewed videos of all-time here on vikings.com.
